Climate Change Theory Climate Change Ecology Main points

Climate Change Theory

Climate Change Ecology Main points: 1. Climate has never been stable. 2. Climate dynamics impact ecosystems 3. The climate is changing rapidly now. 4. Climate change has substantial implications

Delcourt and Delcourt 1987

Tim Tebow press conference 6 m earliest “humans” 100 m flowering plants 408 m. land plants Delcourt and Delcourt 1987

THE HOLOCENE (11, 000 -now) Delcourt and Delcourt 1987

Climate Change Ecology Main points: 1. Climate has never been stable. • Enormous variability over the long-term 2. Climate dynamics impact ecosystems • Species respond to climate dynamics 3. The climate is changing rapidly now. 4. Climate change has substantial implications

Margaret Davis. . .

SCIENCE !

Pollen (SEM) Acer rubrum Juniperus sp. http: //www. geo. arizona. edu/palynology Ambrosia trifida

Margaret Davis: Roger’s Lake Ecology (50: 409 -422), 1969

Pollen Viewer http: //www. geo. brown. edu/georesearch/esh/QE/Research/Veg. Dynam/Veg. Anima/Viewer 32/Web. Viewer. html

Climate Change Ecology Main points: 1. Climate has never been stable. • Enormous variability over the long-term 2. Climate dynamics impact ecosystems • Species respond to climate dynamics 3. The climate is changing rapidly now. 4. Climate change has substantial implications

Longer term temps? http: //www. realclimate. org/ http: //www. ipcc. ch/

Griffith Woods, KY

http: //www. realclimate. org/

Potential influences on climate: 1) Sunspot activity 2) Volcanoes 3) Ocean current changes 4) Earth’s wobble 5) Atmosphere (greenhouse effect)

Sunspots!

Sunspots!

Sunspots!

No evidence of more volcanos

Sensitivity to Orbital Parameters Milankovitch Theory IPCC AR 4 2007

A CO 2 driver of Climate Change….

The Greenhouse Effect is fundamental to our understanding of how Earth works: http: //earthguide. ucsd. edu/earthguide/diagrams/greenhouse/

Keeling Curve: Measured on Mauna Loa

On the Influence of Carbonic Acid in the Air upon the Temperature of the Ground Svante Arrhenius The London, Edinburgh and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science Series 5, Volume 41, April 1896, pages 237 -276.

Early Climate Model

http: //earthobservatory. nasa. gov/Featu res/Paleoclimatology_Ice. Cores/

Petit et al, Nature v. 399 (6735), pp. 429 -436. (1999) CO 2 range in 2100 CO 2 today Homo sapiens

http: //climate. nasa. gov/

Climate Change Ecology Main points: 1. Climate has never been stable. • Enormous variability over the long-term 2. Climate dynamics impact ecosystems • Species respond to climate dynamics 3. The climate is changing rapidly now. 4. Climate change has substantial implications

Climate Change, Theory